ENGLISH PROGRAM

Week 2
I. Introduction to Writing Composition

People claim that oral communication is much easier than communication in a

written language. Several factors turn up as reasons. First, people find it easier to speak

than to write because the focus of verbal communication is already clear, i.e, the delivery

of the message. Secondly, the audience has already been identified amongst the speakers

and listeners. Last but not least, informal language in speaking is sometimes acceptable

rather than in writing.

Out of these problems, one thing to keep in mind is the fact that both process

need somebody to construct a sentence (sentences). The way how people write or

construct sentences becomes the major problem to deliver a message. It lies in:

1. The inability to differentiate between words, phrases, sentences.

2. The inability to categorize and place words into their own roots.
3. The inability to write or construct effective sentences that are meaningful.

II. The Concept of Sentence

Sentence is defined as a group of words containing Subject and Predicate as a

minimum requirement. Both the subjects and predicate are words with different

functions. The Subject of a sentence is an agent who does an activity. On the other hand,

the Predicate of a sentence is an activity done by an individual. Both Subject and

Predicate then become the elements of a sentence. For example: Dogs bark.

Dog is the subject of the sentence “Dogs bark” because it is an agent that does an activity

of “Barking”. Bark, on the other hand, is an activity done by the dogs in the sentence.
 Both subjects and predicates can be either single subject and predicate and

compound subject and compound predicate.

III. Compound Subject

A subject is the word in the sentence about which something is said. It is an

agent of the predicate. It is important to note that in combining the subject, the subject

contains more than one similar subject. For example:

1. Australia is an island country in the South Pacific.

2. New Zealand is also an island country located in the South Pacific

The compound subjects are:

3. Australia and New Zealand are island countries in the South Pacific.

Another example:

1. North Island is one of the three large islands that make up the country of New
Zealand.
2. South Island is another of the large New Zealand islands.
3. The third island in New Zealand is Steward Island.

The compound subjects are:

4. North island, South island, and Steward island are the three large islands that make up
the country of New Zealand.

Exercise:

Combine the subjects of the following sentence groups!

Group 1:

1. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand and one of its largest cities, is located on North
Island.
2. Another large city located on North Island is Auckland, the chief of New Zealand port.
3. ______________________________________________________________________
Group 2:

1. One of the chief sources of farm income in New Zealand is dairy farming.
2. Sheep raising is one of two main sources of farm income in New Zealand.
3. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 3:

1. Most New Zealanders speak English.

2. Maori is another language spoken in New Zealand.
3. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 4:

1. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is one of Australia’s largest cities.
2. Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, is the second largest city in Australia.
3. The third largest city in Australia is Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
4. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 5:

1. William Dapier was the first English explorer to visit Australia.

2. James Cook, an English sea captain, was the second Englishman to visit Australia.
3. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 6:

1. Willem Jansz, a Dutchman, was the first European to visit Australia.

2. Another Dutchman, Abel Tasman, was the second European to report the existence of
Australia.
3. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 7:

1. The wombat, a marsupial, or an animal that when young is carried in an outside pouch
on its mother, lives in Australia.
2. Another Australian marsupial is the kangaroo.
3. Koalas are also marsupials that live in Australia.
4. ______________________________________________________________________
 Group 8:

1. Sugarcane is the leading crop grown along the tropical northeastern coast of
Australia.
2. Pineapples, which require much warmth and moisture, also grow well in Australia’s
northeastern coastal area.
3. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 9:

1. Cool summers along the southeastern coastal plains of Australia are good for dairy
farming.
2. Abundant rainfall, which makes the grass grow well, also encourages dairy farming
along the southeastern Australian coastal plains.
3. An important market for dairy products can be found in the large Australian cities
lying along the southeastern coast.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 10:

1. Manufacturing is the largest source of income in Australia.

2. Mining is also important in the Australian economy.
3. Trade with other countries contributes to the economic well being of Australia.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

IV. COMPOUND PREDICATE VERBS

Like compound subjects, predicate verbs can also be combined. A verb is a word
or group of words to express action, condition, activity and state of being. The verb is part
of the predicate of a sentence. Not only does it say something about the subject, but it
also tells the time of the statement, whether the subject acts or is acted upon, and the
manner in which the writer views the action (as a statement, a question, a command, a
wish, or an exclamation). For example:

1. The cowboy mounted his dapple-gray horse.

2. He then picked up the reins.
3. Then he went off in search of the stray cow.
The compound predicate verbs are:

The cowboy mounted his dapple-gray horse, picked up the reins, and went off in search of
the stray cow.

Another example:

1. Dr. Hirt walked to the lectern.

2. He opened his notebook.
3. Then he began his lecture on Greek drama.

The compound predicate verbs are:

Dr. Hirt walked to the lectern, opened his notebook, and began his lecture on Greek

drama.

Exercise:

Group 1

1. Mrs. Dobie started her car.

2. She backed down the driveway.
3. Then she hit a tree.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 2

1. The comedian walked to the edge of the stage.

2. He looked at the audience.
3. He then began to tell outrageously funny stories.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 3

1. Indians in Santa Fe, New York, make jewelry.

2. They sell jewelry they make to tourists visiting Santa Fe.
3. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 4.

1. Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s great statesman, invented bifocal glasses.

2. Benjamin Franklin also discovered that lightning is a huge spark of electricity.
3. Benjamin Franklin started the magazine that became the Saturday Evening Post.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 5.

1. The Federal Bureau of Investigation solves crimes committed against the United
States.
2. The FBI also investigates the backgrounds of government workers.
3. The FBI guards against enemy spies during wartime.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 6.

1. James Madison helped write the Constitution of the United States.

2. Under Thomas Jefferson, James Madison served as Secretary of State.
3. James Madison became the fourth president of the United States.
4. ______________________________________________________________________

Group 7.

1. Farmers in Spain cultivate grapes to be distilled into wine.

2. Spanish farmers grow olives to be processed into oil.
3. Farmers in Spain raise tobacco to be made into cigarettes and cigars.
4. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 8.

1. The sandpiper lives on the seashore.

2. Sandpipers dig in the sand for insects.
3. Sandpipers follow receding waves searching for the shellfish.
4. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 9.

1. Daniel Boone, a famous American pioneer, fought against the Indians.

2. Boone helped to settle the state of Kentucky.
3. Finally, Boone moved his family to Missouri.
4. _____________________________________________________________________

Group 10.

1. Robert Edwin Peary, a famous explorer, discovered the North Pole in 1909.
2. Peary proved that the North Pole was the center of a large, ice-covered sea.
3. Peary also claimed that Greenland was an island.
4. ____________________________________________________________________